Is it normal for saltwater fish to dull in color?

Question

When I got up this morning one of my yellowtail damsels was a very muted color. after a while he went back to normal, but after he did it seemed like just about every fish in the tank took their own turn at being a dull color. What causes this. I am using the damsels to cycle the tank and stableize it. They have only been in there since late on monday and i've been keeping a close eye on the ph, nitrates and such and everything is as normal as it should be for this stage.

Answer 1

Your fish are not sick having the tank lights out will dull the fish. They will soon return to their normal color. Some will come to color faster than others.

Nothing to worry about. He was more like a light blue or grey? Here are pictures of my reef tank and what a lot of things look like right after the lights come on. You will notice they aren't as bright as they usually are.

http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w10/Fishqueen_2000/?action=view¤t=032307coralam.jpg&slideshow=true&interval=3

I hope that worked, I am new to using a web page for photos it is a slide show thing so.

Answer 2

Salt water fish (at least most of mine) are always dull when they sleep. You mentioned this was in the morning, so you probably had just turned the lights on. Takes from a few minutes to an hour or so before they fully regain their color.

I imagine this is some type of camaflage for the fish when they are sleeping.

Check this link out also: http://ozreef.org/faq/starting_out/why_is_my_fish_looking_pale.html

Good luck

Answer 3

As stated above stress or simply turning the lights on in morning will cause this. This said, watch for other symptoms that may indicate a more serious problem.

As mentioned, keep an eye on water parameters such as:
*Ammonia- 0
*Nitrites- 0
*PH -8.2- 8.4

High ammonia will cause color loss often with the additional symptom of gasping at the surface.

A more serious possiblity is Oodinium. This parasitic infestation moves more quickly than Crytocaryon (ich) and symptoms can be subtle up to death. Watch for scratching (flashing) and hiding with this disease.
A UV Sterilizer is a good preventative for this.

For more basic Marine info including links, please visit this site:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Basic_Saltwater.html

Answer 4

Fish "dull" for two reasons. When they're stressed or sick, they may appear duller than when healthy. Also, overnight, many fish "pale" from lack of reflecting light (not something they control) or to avoid being eaten by a predator (dull colors are harder to notice). Since your fish is back to his normal color, I will say it was the second. You should only worry when he doesn't change to "bright", but you took good first steps to check the water quality!

Good luck with your tank!

Answer 5

That's just what damsels go through as they clean/cycle your tank.